Confederate Monuments and Controversy -- "Wrestling with our history, particularly in the case of the Confederacy and slavery, is painful precisely because the monuments attempt to give meaning to that sad chapter of our story, but there’s also so much left unsaid."

Robert W. Canoy, the author of Atonement in the Apocalypse, is Dean and
Professor of Christian Theology at the School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb
University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

David L. Allen, the author of The Extent of the Atonement, “serves as
the Dean of the School of Theology, Professor of Preaching, Director of the
Center for Expository Preaching, and holds the George W. Truett Chair of
Pastoral Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth,
Texas.”

The Extent of the Atonement: a Historical and Critical
Review by David
Lewis Allen is a very large book of 848 pages that I will probably never sit
down and read through, but rather use as a reference work. But it will be a
good reference. Brian Abasciano says, “Allen’s tome is now the book to own on
the extent of the atonement and the place to turn for support of unlimited
atonement and refutation of limited atonement” and Nathan Finn adds that it “is
the most extensive treatment of this topic that has been written—certainly by a
Baptist.”

David L. Allen, the author of The Extent of the Atonement, “serves as
the Dean of the School of Theology, Professor of Preaching, Director of the
Center for Expository Preaching, and holds the George W. Truett Chair of
Pastoral Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth,
Texas.”

In this book David Allen makes a case for an atonement that is universal
in its extent. He further asserts that universal atonement has been the
majority view of Christians throughout all church history. Following the
introduction, Allen’s book is divided in three parts: “The Extent of the
Atonement in Church History,” from early church to the modern era; “The Extent
of the Atonement in the Baptist Tradition,” from the English General and
Particular Baptists to Baptists in America and Southern Baptists in particular;[i] “The Extent of the Atonement:
a Critical Review,” which is about 150 pages of detailed review of the book
From
Heaven He Came and Sought Her. I really appreciate the chronological
arrangement of historical sections. Since I don’t own From Heaven He Came and Sought Her, the last third provides the
least interest to me. Allen concludes with “Why Belief in Unlimited Atonement
Matters.”

I originally resisted the idea of purchasing the
book, considering the topic and cost – but relented when I understood this
would be a good historical reference work. Allen sets out with a focus and
difficult task, realizing “space prohibits the citations of quotations in full
context” he nevertheless “attempted to give enough context where possible to
minimize mischaracterization and to maximize objectivity.” He focuses on primary
source material which “must be consulted whenever possible...We must objectively
listen to historical theology, and the only to do this is to read carefully the
primary sources and those who have
engaged the primary sources...I will be referencing numerous quotations as evidence
of a particular author’s view on the extent of the atonement...I have
attempted, where possible, to use quotations only from primary sources.” (pp. )
His focus on primary source material yields odd results at times. With Richard
Furman he states that Furman changed his view from limited atonement to
unlimited atonement with no quotations, merely footnoting a reference to Winds
of Doctrines by Wiley W. Richards. On Jesse Mercer, rather than
citing Mercer giving his own view of the atonement, he quotes Mercer talking
about the views of others regarding the atonement. Nevertheless, over the whole
range of the book, there are lots of quotes from primary sources.

While David Allen is scholarly and thorough, he is
not without bias, stating, “My ultimate goal in this work is simple: to
demonstrate historically, and then biblically and theologically, why universal
atonement is a more excellent way...” At times this view may cause him to see
some Christians as closer to his viewpoint, while researchers with opposite
bias may see them as closer to their viewpoint. Such is life. This also
explains his focus on the unlimited sufficiency of the atonement over the
limited efficacy of the atonement (that is, some hold both these points in
tension and Allen categorizes them on “his side”). In my opinion, this produces
a strange conglomeration of a category that embraces everything from 4-point
Calvinism to Universal Salvation and all points in between. This nevertheless
fits within the overall purpose of Allen’s tome.

With Jeff
Johnson I can agree that “regardless of whether we agree or disagree
with Allen’s critical conclusions, I believe we will all agree that he has
written a valuable book.”

[i] Allen is a Southern
Baptist, which explains his focus on the atonement theology in the Southern
Baptist Convention.

Atonement in the Apocalypse: an Exposé of the Defeat
of Evil by Robert W.
Canoy is a reasonably short and focused work, which narrows the topic of the
atonement to its relation to the book of Revelation. It does not deal with the
atonement in ways that many typical books on the atonement will – e.g., limited
atonement, general atonement, etc.. It only delves lightly into the eschatology
of Revelation, in places in might be pertinent to the main topic.

Robert W. Canoy, the author of Atonement
in the Apocalypse, is Dean and Professor of Christian Theology at the
School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North
Carolina.

I was excited when I saw an advertisement for Atonement in the Apocalypse in my inbox. I am interested in this
subject, and am not aware of another book that focuses so particularly on it.
Canoy's and the book's connections to Smyth & Helwys and the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship put a slight damper on the excitement. I knew it would come
out of the moderate to liberal field. Because of its particular focus I
nevertheless wanted to read it and purchased it. I wasn’t aware of another book
like it.[i] This is a topic I wish to
explore further and appreciate Canoy’s contribution.

In the beginning Canoy writes on the subject of the atonement and
how that fits within the genre of Revelation (Apocalyptic, Prophesy, Epistle).
In chapters 2 and 3 he deals with atonement language and metaphors used in
Revelation (such as Temple, altar, Lamb, etc.). Chapter 5 might be called the
heart of the book, the defeat of the Great Red Dragon as the exposé of evil. In
the final chapter Canoy offers theological conclusions with implications for
Christian living.

view of atonement?

Danny West says Atonement in
the Apocalypse is “written with clarity for both scholars and laypersons in
mind.” I believe that is a fair assessment. For example, Canoy’s placement of the
Greek text in sentences following the English translation can be read by those
who can do so, or simply ignored by those who cannot.[ii] Mitchell Reddish writes, “Canoy’s
work in the result of informed exegesis, critical dialogue with other scholars,
and theological reflection on the significance of John’s understanding of the
redemptive work of God.” To my taste there was far too much interaction with/quoting
of other scholars, which to me became tiresome after a point.

My overall assessment is “somewhat disappointing.” The uniqueness
of the topic gets the book a recommendation I might not otherwise give. Canoy’s
atonement view gets the reader a warning. Be aware. I guess I was naïve and not
expecting the so-called “Christus Victor” view of the atonement to be promoted
in the book.[iii]
This aspect left me confused in the beginning until I realized what he was
saying. Be careful. I actually have no problem with “Christus Victor” other
than when it is used to deny and substitute for penal and substitutionary
aspects of the atonement.

Finally, I was disappointed that this book coming out of the
academic field included no index. This is a deficiency that should be corrected
in future printings.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Early church devotion; Translation/Paraphrase by Gerard Moultrie (1864)1. Let all mortal flesh keep silence,And with fear and trembling stand;Ponder nothing earthly minded,For with blessing in His hand,Christ our God to earth descendeth,Our full homage to demand.2. King of kings, yet born of Mary,As of old on earth He stood,Lord of lords, in human vesture,In the body and the blood;He will give to all the faithfulHis own self for heavenly food.3. Rank on rank the host of heavenSpreads its vanguard on the way,As the Light of light descendethFrom the realms of endless day,That the powers of hell may vanishAs the darkness clears away.4. At His feet the six winged seraph,Cherubim with sleepless eye,Veil their faces to the presence,As with ceaseless voice they cry:Alleluia, Alleluia,Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Friday, August 11, 2017

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." Psalm 112:4We often get into such dark paths, that we seem altogether out of the secret, and feel as if there were no more grace in our souls, than in one altogether dead in trespasses and sins. And whether we look back at the past, or view the present, or turn our eyes to the future, one dark cloud seems to rest upon the whole; nor can we, with all our searching, find to our satisfaction that we have one spark of true religion, or one atom of grace, or one grain of vital godliness, or any trace that the Spirit of God has touched our consciences with his finger.Now, when we are in this dark, benighted state, we want light; we want the blessed Sun of righteousness to arise; we want the south wind to blow a heavenly gale, and drive the mists away; we want the clouds to part, and the light of God's countenance to shine into our souls, so as to shew us where we are, and what we are, and make it clear, that base and vile as we are, yet that we are interested in the love of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the teachings of the Holy Ghost. And when his word begins to distil like the rain and to drop like the dew, when the Lord himself is pleased to speak home one sweet testimony, one little word, one kind intimation—what a change it makes! The clouds break away, the fog clears off, the mists dissolve, and the soul becomes sweetly persuaded of its interest in the blood and love of the Lamb.J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)

Wednesday, August 09, 2017

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)"The chains of ecclesiastical bondage are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." -- Richard V. Clearwaters"Like edged tools in the hands of children, feigned arguments are always likely to do more evil than good." -- Jesse Mercer"The more I lied for the purpose of showing that I lied, the more convinced became they that I was a paragon of veracity." -- Léo Taxil"There is no limit to human stupidity." -- Léo Taxil"For Christians what it means to 'win' has been redefined by the cross." -- Eugene Boring"God does not exist outside of time, He just cannot be measured by time. Time is a measurement of things that have a beginning and an ending point." -- Mark Fenison"The cross is the cornerstone, capstone, touchstone, and loadstone of Christianity." -- David Lewis Allen"The miracle of Christ's sacrificial death is that the priest and the victim have become one." -- Fleming Rutledge"God chose not the clever strategies of the politically oriented, neither the sophisticated arguments of the philosophers, nor even the oratory skills of the talented rhetoricians to save the lost; rather, he chose the foolishness of preaching." -- Edward Dingess

Tuesday, August 08, 2017

Worth thinking about:Why Christians Are Abandoning the Orphanage -- “A new focus on the family is changing how Christians care for abandoned and neglected children.”“What was designed as a temporary solution to address a crisis became a permanent problem,” Ruslan Maliuta, international facilitator of World Without Orphans said. The temporary solution is the orphanage, while the goal should be to get the children out of orphanages and into families.

In the last century, Christian organizations proliferated orphanages as a quick solution to swelling numbers of abandoned children in poor countries where corrupt or inefficient governments weren’t providing adequate social services. That has left Christians today as the dominant provider of orphan care in much of the world.

Even in early 20th-century America, “the church had a leading role in building orphanages to take care of children,” said Jerry Haag, president of the 112-year-old Florida Baptist Children’s Homes (FBCH). “They didn’t have parents who could take care of them through the Depression era.”According to WWO, orphans were historically defined by the loss of both parents, usually through death. UNICEF eventually broadened the definition to include children who have lost only one parent—a definition that would seem to have support in the Bible, which uses the words “orphan” and “fatherless” interchangeably.

Good News began efforts to strengthen biological families, accepting children only as a last resort. It also worked to remove any parental rights over abandoned children, enabling them to be moved into foster care or adopted. With the church’s encouragement, families from churches in and around their city have adopted more than 100 children. (Dudnik and his wife, Tamara, adopted Sergey.)